


I'll always be by your side, ( Don't you worry. )

by svcculents



Series: Life after Alec [2]
Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Cats, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Character Death, honestly guys idk what to say, im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 07:46:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5326313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/svcculents/pseuds/svcculents
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Max hadn't come to see him. He always came in to say goodnight, no matter how tired or sick or sad he was. He always did, ever since he was little. Not tonight. He didn't come home, either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll always be by your side, ( Don't you worry. )

Max's life was hell. Absolute, complete and utter hell. He thought he could handle it when his father had died. That, quite obviously, was a total disaster. Nearly forty years and he was still not even close to accepting it. He'd tried. It hadn't worked. Max sat on the couch and buried his head in his hands. Dad had tried too. He really didn't have a choice, anyhow. Aunt Catarina and Aunt Tessa made sure of that.

_"Damn it, Max! Get the fucking door!" Raphael yelled from upstairs. Max sighed, getting up from his seat in the kitchen. It was 8:17 in the damn morning. Hell hours, in other words. He'd fallen asleep downstairs again. Oh, well. The doorbell rang again, and Max hurried to the door, throwing it open. He stared, and an exasperated Catarina Loss stared back at him. Tessa Herondale-Carstairs peeked out from behind her, looking amused. Max loved his aunts very much, but at this hour, he really didn't. He crossed his arms, raising his chin. "Is there something you need?"_

_"Watch your tone," Catarina replied, pushing past him. "Where's Magnus?" "He's asleep," Bella replied. She was standing at the foot of the stairs, Raphael next to her. Raph looked like he was ready to strangle everyone, while Bella had simply looked calmly amused. He suppressed a groan. "Look, as much as I appreciate your company, can this wait until noon? Or much later?" "I don't think so," Tessa responded. "We need to talk to your father about.. Well, all of this." She gestured towards the rest of the house. Catarina didn't give them time to respond. She grabbed Tessa's wrist and hurried upstairs. A few minutes later, an angry yell of, "GODDAMNIT CATARINA, IS THIS MY HOUSE OR YOURS?" could be heard. The three siblings stared at each other blankly before Bella began to laugh. "About damn time."_

Bella's laugh echoed in Max's head, making him drop his head, his eyes starting to burn.

_"We'll be fine, I swear. I've got Raph with me, okay? Tell Papa we'll be home soon."_

Angry tears made their way down Max's face. They didn't make it home, did they? No, of course not. They'd went and gotten themselves into a fight they couldn't win.

_"I'll take care of Bells. Don't worry, big brother. We'll be okay. Don't wait up."_

Max was sobbing now, his hands clutching at his hair. Ever since they'd been gone, he couldn't function. Dad refused to come out of his room. No matter how much Max begged him or shook him or yelled at him, he wouldn't move. He'd stare at Max with those empty, green, cat eyes. He wouldn't talk. He'd turn his face and stare at the wall, staring at the untouched bow and arrows. Max would follow his gaze and storm out.

Max had been fighting every demon he came across. He'd come home with bloody, torn clothes. Tessa had taken one look at him and took him into her arms, not saying a word. He didn't say anything either, just rested his head in the crook of her neck while she had rocked him back and forth like a child. He hadn't minded. It would be an endless cycle. Get up. Eat. Go out and kill demons. Come home. Change. Eat. Check on Dad. Argue with Dad even though he never answered. Sleep. Repeat.

Again, Max Lightwood-Bane's life was hell. There was only one solution, but he never actually did it. Sure, he considered it. Did he do it? No, Dad needed him and he couldn't leave him all alone. But Dad had Catarina, didn't he? Tessa and Lily, too. Max sat on the edge of his bed, shaking his head. This wasn't right. He couldn't think like this. But he did. He thought and he decided. Max got up slowly. He reached for his coat, shrugging it on. He made his way to Dad's room, opening the door. Dad was sitting in bed, quite a few pillows propping him up. He was stroking Church's fur, and Max wasn't surprised to hear purring. Stupid cat only liked Dad, anyway. Dad looked up at him, his hand stilling. Max gave him a small smile, stepping around the books on the floor. He managed to get to his father's side without stumbling. Dad had a small smile on his face, which was rare. It almost made Max change his mind. Almost. "I'll be back," he said, leaning down to kiss his father's cheek. Dad nodded hesitantly before gently pushing Church off of him. He pulled Max down and wrapped his arms around him.

Max stiffened in surprise, slowly relaxing. Dad hadn't touched him in years. He circled his arms around his father, burying his face in Dad's hair. He stepped away after a few minutes. He gave him another smile, but didn't get a smile back. Dad had already turned away, and Church was pawing at his hands. The cat hissed at Max and he hissed back at it. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room. He wanted to slam the door, but he didn't. He kept walking, and he didn't stop. Open a door, close it, walk. Repeat. It wasn't hard to find a demon in Brooklyn. And it definitely wasn't hard to stand still and let it rip him apart.

-

Max hadn't come to see him. He always came in to say goodnight, no matter how tired or sick or sad he was. He always did, ever since he was little. Not tonight. He didn't come home, either. Magnus hadn't heard a door open. He looked at Church, and Church meowed at him. "Do you think he's alright?" He asked the cat, not expecting an answer. He didn't get one, either. Magnus sighed, leaning back against the pillows. He reached for his phone, wondering if he should call his son. Technically, he should. He wasn't sure if Max would want him to.

"Magnus?" said a timid voice that wasn't his son's. Magnus looked up to see Tessa leaning against the doorway. He raised an eyebrow at her and she made her way in, slowly closing the door. He could see the anguish on her face when she came closer. He opened his mouth and she shook her head, climbing onto the bed, sitting in front of him. "Somethings happened," she began, her tone soft. He noticed the tears forming in her gray eyes.

"Max," he whispered. "Where's Max?" Tessa dropped her head in response. Magnus immediately sat up, pulling her head up. "Where's my son, Tessa?" Tessa was crying now. "I'm sorry, Magnus. I'm so, so sorry. Max.. Max is gone." Magnus's hand dropped from her chin, staring at her blankly. No, she was lying. "I'm not," she whispered. He hadn't realized he was talking out loud. He shook his head at her, clutching the sheets. "No. He's here, right? He's downstairs. Max is fine." She reached for him, only to have her hand slapped away. "Go away," Magnus snapped. She glared at him through her tears and grabbed his hands anyway, squeezing them hard. He winced, trying to pull away from her. She finally let go and stood up, brushing away invisible dust from her jeans. "I'm going to be downstairs," she informed him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Magnus glared at her and she turned away, seeing herself out. Once she was gone, Magnus turned to Church. "Take care of her," he told the cat. "She'll need you."

Church huffed, darting forward to bite his fingers. Magnus snapped his fingers, making the cat disappear. An angry hiss could be heard from outside the door.

_You love me?_

Magnus pushed the covers off of him, getting up from the bed. He snapped his fingers again and a familiar dagger lay in his hands.

_Will you marry me, Alexander?_

Magnus closed his eyes, raising it.

_I love you, Magnus. Take good care of them. They'll need you._

He didn't feel it. He felt his hand let go of the dagger, he felt his body hit the floor. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Alec was standing over him. He was the shy, awkward, seventeen year old boy Magnus had fallen in love with. Alec held out his hand, and Magnus took it.

**Author's Note:**

> all i can say is, im sorry.  
> tumblr - larryismyaesthetic


End file.
